Under-performing Warlock wants this magic item they invented

[Mad_Saulot]

ok, the warlock in my group considers herself an underpperformer in combat, which tbf isnt really true, she's just unlucky, continuously so, but she feels somewhat nerfed, her character is an academic book of the tome GOOlock and presents herself as an "Archeologist" rather than as a particular class, Anyhoo the player randomly invented this magic item and wants me to add it to the game, I've never had a warlock player before this one so I'm not certain, here is the item:

Circlet of Hexing (Very Rare, Requires Attunement by a Warlock)
While wearing the circlet, the user may cast the Hex spell once per day without using a spell slot.
The user may elect to have the circlet maintain the concentration on the spell; if so, the user takes 1d4 damage at the start of each of their turns while concentration is maintained in this manner. This damage does not trigger a concentration check for the Circlet's spell, but any other concentration spell being maintained by the user may be affected.
An ancient circlet of twisted, spiked iron with a central onyx gemstone. When in use, the circlet twists tighter, causing the spikes to embed themselves in the user's skin.

What do you think?

[trollballz]

First off, make an amendment that the character cannot have their other concentration spell be hex, and have double hex on the boss to nuke him.

That is a pretty strong item as rare items should be. What level are they at?

If we are talking high level 15+, its definitely fine because the characters should be wielding tools of great power. If they are below 10 I would wait and give them some different items to fill that gap. I say that because this item will kill them, because it will become a crutch, and because other items can probably help them more.

As an alternative there are items like rod of the pact keeper and pearl of power that would help give her that boost she needs to keep the magic going. The rod of the pact keeper in particular is crazy powerful for warlocks and called OP for some builds.

Also make sure she took agonizing blast as an invocation, without it straight warlocks that arent hexblades are pretty crippled.

[Keravath]

Why not just give them a Rod of the Pact Keeper? It can be used to restore a warlock spell slot once/day so essentially gives you an extra spell. They come in +1 to +3 versions that increase your to hit and DC with warlock spells. Concentration issues can be usually solved by taking resilient con or warcaster. The problem with the damage/round concentration ability is that it requires the warlock to transfer concentration on the hex spell before they take damage.

The only reason I can think of to invent such an item is because the player loves to cast hex but somehow ends up stuck in melee or getting hit for damage which causes them to lose concentration. Anyway, if the concentration is a big issue I'd suggest allowing them to tweak their character to factor in resilient con. A GOOlock has poor AC, isn't using a shield anyway, so warcaster isn't as useful for the ability to cast spells with both hands full. You mentioned in another thread that they are level 7 so the warlock will get an ASI at level 8 which is another option.

[Great Dragon]

Greetings, Mad_Saulot

This item looks ok.
Just a note: the 1d4 damage is an ok "tax" on the PC, but only causes a DC 10 Constitution Save for the second spell concentrated upon.

Suggestion: Since the concentration is supposed to be very hard to get around, I'd keep the 1d4 damage, and maybe make the save for both spells: the Circlet at normal, and the second at Disadvantage.

Edit: The suggestions of Rod of the Pact Keeper and Pearl of Power are good for lower levels.
Just, keep these in mind at higher levels.

[Grod_The_Giant]

What's making her feel like she's underperforming?

[Segev]

What's making her feel like she's underperforming?

This is my question, too. You mention she's just very unlucky. What is the manifestation of this bad luck? What die rolls is she failing frequently? Or is her damage just really low because she rolls 1s on the dice a lot? What are the actual symptoms in play of her underperformance?

[Unoriginal]

The only way I would agree to something like this would be if the PC actually did invent that item during the campaign.

Which would require going on a quest and research to perfect the magic item formula, and then crafting the magic item itself.

Given that the character is an archeologist and a Warlock of the Tome, researching old curseslingers and hexers, as well as people and places which have been cursed, would be appropriate. Plus various NPCs of all kind could be interested by her efforts and be willing to help (or on the contrary, try to stop her for various reasons).

And after succeeding, if she does, she would have the Circlet of [PC's name] in hand, alongside the reputation she gained from it.

[Vogie]

... I'm not sure. Unlike most player-suggested homebrew it's reasonably balanced

I don't mind the once/day hex - they could get that just by picking up Magic Initiate, super easily.

The differences in duration is basically gone, because using the circlet to concentrate on Hex for 10 minutes would require them to take 1d4 damage 100 times over that 10 minute period. Most people don't want to take 100d4, regardless of level.

The thing I dislike is that they're trading their concentration for healing from another source, either resources or another PC's spell slots. They're not playing a character that can turn around and heal themselves easily, and Warlocks are already incredibly short-rest based - and this item would make them even moreso, as they'd be relying on hit dice to recoup the damage taken.

Alternatively, they could play this as a sort of backup spell slot, only used when they know they're about to get a long rest... which would make it effectively free.

If you wanted an alternate version to bring up to them, You could do something like this:

An ancient circlet of twisted, spiked iron with a central onyx gemstone. When activated, the circlet twists tighter, causing the spikes to embed themselves in the wearer's skin, and would cause the wearer 3d8 damage if removed.
Once per day, as a bonus action, the wearer may activate the circlet to cast the Hex spell at its lowest level once per day using a third of your hit die (rounded up) instead of a spell slot. If you cast it with hit die, the duration that doesn't require concentration. You can deactivate the circlet, and the dismiss the spell, as a bonus action

That way, the circlet will still consume resources, but it steals them from the player's other short rest resources. It also gives you a shenanigan lever if they abuse it by having a monster use the DMG disarm action.

[Mad_Saulot]

What's making her feel like she's underperforming?

TBH from my perspective she isnt a failure, she just isnt combat orientated, and when she sees the others do better in combat it affects the player, the player is overly mindful of failure and for every failure she needs several successes to erase that sense of underachievement. Its mostly psychological I think, she does superbly outside of combat and her knowledge rolls are invaluable to the group which has only one other academic type, the wizard.

[Burley]

Maybe I'm too lenient as a GM, but this doesn't seem like a very powerful item, honestly. I'd happily let a PC have an item like this, but I'd simplify it:

Once per day, you may cast Hex as the spell. You may maintain the spell as normal, or you may choose to have the Circlet automatically succeed on the concentration check for you (allowing you to cast and maintain a different spell). Having the Circlet do this deals you 1d4 irreducible psychic damage.


Personally, I think an extra 1d6 for a character that is doing low- or no-damage isn't a huge deal and their voluntary use of their own HP as a resource is thematic and interesting.
Plus, this could be a great opportunity for a side-quest to acquire this artifact of a lost psionic civilization.
Maybe it turns out to be an old Illithid thrall-crown, used by Mind Flayers to control their slaves.
Maybe the circlet was used by a warlock in the past and an echo of them is still in it, giving the player an opportunity to roleplay the concentration check and psychic damage.

[Wildarm]

Circlet of Hexing (Very Rare, Requires Attunement by a Warlock)
While wearing the circlet, the user may cast the Hex spell once per day without using a spell slot.
The user may elect to have the circlet maintain the concentration on the spell; if so, the user takes 1d4 damage at the start of each of their turns while concentration is maintained in this manner. This damage does not trigger a concentration check for the Circlet's spell, but any other concentration spell being maintained by the user may be affected.
An ancient circlet of twisted, spiked iron with a central onyx gemstone. When in use, the circlet twists tighter, causing the spikes to embed themselves in the user's skin.

What do you think?

Seems like a wonky design to me. Too complicated. Is the issue that she wants to cast other concentration spells while maintaining hex? Or that she wants to be able to cast hex more often?

Speculating but I suspect part of the issue might be not enough short rests. Warlocks really need that 2x short rests per long rest to feel competitive for power with other casters.

If it's merely her wanting to be able to cast hex more often, the previous suggestions of rod of the pact keeper or pearl of power are good. As is a ring of spell storing.

As is, I'd probably changed the circlet to something like:

Hexdoll - Looks like some creepy little doll with pins stuck through it

Wondrous Item - (Rare, Requires Attunement by a Warlock)
When you cast the spell Hex using a warlock spell slot, the hexdoll maintains concentration on the spell for you. As an action you can change the target of your Hex spell. You cannot cast Hex again or regain the spell slot expended when you cast Hex while the Hexdoll maintains concentration on the spell for you.

Effectively a warlock can now sacrifice a spell slot and an attunement slot to always have hex as a damage boost. Especially nice for when you get 3rd or 5th level slots. Effectively turns the Hex spell into a class feature.

[Grod_The_Giant]

TBH from my perspective she isnt a failure, she just isnt combat orientated, and when she sees the others do better in combat it affects the player, the player is overly mindful of failure and for every failure she needs several successes to erase that sense of underachievement. Its mostly psychological I think, she does superbly outside of combat and her knowledge rolls are invaluable to the group which has only one other academic type, the wizard.

In what way is she struggling in combat, that is?

[Innocent_bystan]

Does the warlock have the Agonizing Blast invocation? Or phrased differently, has the player made any investment toward combat effectiveness? If not, I'd allow for a character tweak and call it a day.

About the item: I'd be very wary to allow a player a second concentration slot. The limitation is built into the system for a reason. Might I suggest the following alternative: an item that allows the warlock to change the type of damage his EB does a couple of times per day. That way the player can use his lore skill to figure out a vulnerability to a certain element and use to item to capitalise on that knowledge.
As another alternative: mini-smites: on a hit, the warlock can spend a hit dice to add 1d10 to the damage of an EB blast.

About bad luck: does the warlock have a familiar? And does the familiar use the help-action? Advantage on the first ray of EB kind of guarantees at least 1 hit per turn.

[Mad_Saulot]

First off, make an amendment that the character cannot have their other concentration spell be hex, and have double hex on the boss to nuke him.

That is a pretty strong item as rare items should be. What level are they at?

If we are talking high level 15+, its definitely fine because the characters should be wielding tools of great power. If they are below 10 I would wait and give them some different items to fill that gap. I say that because this item will kill them, because it will become a crutch, and because other items can probably help them more.

As an alternative there are items like rod of the pact keeper and pearl of power that would help give her that boost she needs to keep the magic going. The rod of the pact keeper in particular is crazy powerful for warlocks and called OP for some builds.

Also make sure she took agonizing blast as an invocation, without it straight warlocks that arent hexblades are pretty crippled.

The pearl of power says:


While this pearl is on your person, you can use an action to speak its Command Word and regain one expended spell slot. If the expended slot is of 4th level or higher, the new slot is 3rd level. Once you have used the pearl, it can't be used again until the next dawn.

But the warlock is level 7 and has level 4 spell slots, how would this work?

[Segev]

TBH from my perspective she isnt a failure, she just isnt combat orientated, and when she sees the others do better in combat it affects the player, the player is overly mindful of failure and for every failure she needs several successes to erase that sense of underachievement. Its mostly psychological I think, she does superbly outside of combat and her knowledge rolls are invaluable to the group which has only one other academic type, the wizard.

In what way is she struggling in combat, that is?

Yeah, as Grod intimates, the above-quoted answer doesn't really tell us HOW she's "failing" or perceiving herself to. What is it that she's not doing that she feels she should be? What is she failing at, from her perspective? We need specifics. e.g., is she failing to hit (and with what)? Rolling low for damage (and what is her damage-source)? Are enemies making saves too often? Is she using damage spells with half-damage on saves, no damage on saves, or save-or-suck spells that just aren't triggering?

Hex is a multifasceted debuff, hitting saves and making attacks hurt more, so knowing she wants to have it up and do other things to patch her perceived weakness doesn't tell us what her perceived weakness is. WE can help better if we know what she perceives as her failures, because we can then try to diagnose the underlying problem(s) and patch those.

The pearl of power says:


While this pearl is on your person, you can use an action to speak its Command Word and regain one expended spell slot. If the expended slot is of 4th level or higher, the new slot is 3rd level. Once you have used the pearl, it can't be used again until the next dawn.

But the warlock is level 7 and has level 4 spell slots, how would this work?

She'd have a level 3 slot when she used it. It does what it says it does. Nothing restricts her from having level 3 slots; she just doesn't get any natively.

[Nhorianscum]

Seems like a decent item.

I'd conaider this appropriate as a serious quest reward in tier 2 for a very dangerous bit of *ahem* combat archaeology.

[Vogie]

The pearl of power says:


While this pearl is on your person, you can use an action to speak its Command Word and regain one expended spell slot. If the expended slot is of 4th level or higher, the new slot is 3rd level. Once you have used the pearl, it can't be used again until the next dawn.

But the warlock is level 7 and has level 4 spell slots, how would this work?

Exactly how it says. They have 2 level 4 spell slots via Pact magic, they expend one (or both), and then they use the pearl to regrow a 3rd level spell slot. It's not provided by pact magic, it's provided by the pearl.

[Guy Lombard-O]

Circlet of Hexing (Very Rare, Requires Attunement by a Warlock)
While wearing the circlet, the user may cast the Hex spell once per day without using a spell slot.
The user may elect to have the circlet maintain the concentration on the spell; if so, the user takes 1d4 damage at the start of each of their turns while concentration is maintained in this manner. This damage does not trigger a concentration check for the Circlet's spell, but any other concentration spell being maintained by the user may be affected.
An ancient circlet of twisted, spiked iron with a central onyx gemstone. When in use, the circlet twists tighter, causing the spikes to embed themselves in the user's skin.

What do you think?

To be honest, it doesn't seem overpowered. For a (self-)homebrewed item, it's hardly fantastic.

Taking 1d4 damage every round isn't a joke, for a d8 class. And it's an auto-concentration check for any second concentration spell the wearer attempts. Especially since Hex only deals an additional 1d6 to your target (per beam, admittedly) IF you hit, and disadvantages ability checks (not saves).

+3.5 damage per hit per round and a minor ability nerf to one enemy hardly seems game breaking. Not minor or anything. But not a massive bonus. Most of the alternative builds suggested above actually seem more powerful than the player's suggested item, not less (due to the auto-damage every round).

EDIT: If she simply isn't hitting much, a Wand of the War Mage might be a better fix. And swapping out invocations to add Agonizing Blast (& Repelling or Lethargy) might help some, as suggested above.

[Mad_Saulot]

Yeah, as Grod intimates, the above-quoted answer doesn't really tell us HOW she's "failing" or perceiving herself to. What is it that she's not doing that she feels she should be? What is she failing at, from her perspective? We need specifics. e.g., is she failing to hit (and with what)? Rolling low for damage (and what is her damage-source)? Are enemies making saves too often? Is she using damage spells with half-damage on saves, no damage on saves, or save-or-suck spells that just aren't triggering?

Hex is a multifasceted debuff, hitting saves and making attacks hurt more, so knowing she wants to have it up and do other things to patch her perceived weakness doesn't tell us what her perceived weakness is. WE can help better if we know what she perceives as her failures, because we can then try to diagnose the underlying problem(s) and patch those.



She'd have a level 3 slot when she used it. It does what it says it does. Nothing restricts her from having level 3 slots; she just doesn't get any natively.

Like I said before as DM I dont think she's a failure, it is her perception of failure thats her problem, for every natural 1 she rolls she'd need several natural 20's to forget about the fail. It is a combination of several bad rolls in hardcore fights recently that have upset her but thats RNg init.

[Hail Tempus]

Like I said before as DM I dont think she's a failure, it is her perception of failure thats her problem, for every natural 1 she rolls she'd need several natural 20's to forget about the fail. It is a combination of several bad rolls in hardcore fights recently that have upset her but thats RNg init.

I don't see how this magic item fixes that problem, though. Hex doesn't help her hit more often. And overriding the Concentration limit is a major buff for a character. Warlocks aren't a character class that really need any outside buffing for their combat effectiveness.

If she's upset at rolling ones occasionally, the easiest solution for her is to have the character invest in the Lucky feat.

[Ceaon]

Well... This item will not really help to make her feel more powerful, if the problem is as you've described. More damage will not matter if you still miss just as often. I'd lean more to something like a limited "Lucky feat"-like option if I were you.

Edit: ninja'd!

[Ventruenox]

If she's upset at rolling ones occasionally, the easiest solution for her is to have the character invest in the Lucky feat.

I agree with this solution. Sometimes a new set of dice does the same thing. The DM gifted one of our players that feat in the last campaign due to his notoriously bad rolls. I gave him a new set of dice a couple of months back and his rolls are much more typical now.

It could also be a purely perceptual problem for this player.

[sophontteks]

If you work with this warlock the magic item is not nessesary.

Hex lasts 8+ hours. The warlock can kill a small creature they've hexed as a part of their morning ritual and short rest their slots back.

The magic item just makes slightly easier what is already allowed RAW and the warlock player just needs help using it.

[Mad_Saulot]

She does like buying random dice, she seems to have a new set every other game, this will anger the spirits of the dice, thats it, she must have Hex'd herself irl by not attuning to a particular dice set.

[Fraggloid]

Hello, I'm the Warlock in question.
So, in 3 of our 4 last combat encounters, I've seriously struggled. Despite having a +8 spell attack bonus and DC16 thanks to a +1 rod of the pact keeper, 18 CHA and level 7's +3 prof bonus, there are entire large encounters where I'll do... Nothing. Granted, one of those was due to being KO'ed in the first round by a young dragon, but it still feels as though I have a very underwhelming combat performance compared to the rest of the group.
I do have agonising blast, but that's not much help when you never hit! I actually use Shadow Blade as my primary combat spell when we're in shadows, as getting advantage on every attack seriously helps; I'll use Hex + Eldritch Blast if we're somewhere that wouldn't apply, or if I feel that engaging in melee will pose a more serious risk to my survival.

So, onto the circlet. The original concept was just a 'hey, I wonder what this would be like'. I've often felt that maintaining concentration on Hex for an entire combat really limits my options, though that's prior to a recent 'oh ****' moment where another player raised that we'd been running it wrong - we'd been applying the disadvantage to enemy's saving throws, instead of ability checks. Given that my character is themed around mental manipulation, and that our Wizard also uses a lot of save-based spells, this is a blow - though how heavy of one is yet to be determined.
I wanted to create an item that fit my character's theme and background; as Mad Saulot has said, she's an archaeologist. The tome that she found in an ancient tomb and began to translate is the link to her patron, and she's gaining her powers through translating sections of the tome as time goes by and she levels up - though she's slowly succumbing to it's effects upon her. I imagined the circlet as an ancient artifact alluded to in the tome that is described as providing those with the power to use it an additional conduit through which to channel the arcane magics of the being to which they're aligned, with the aspect of self-damage being omitted or on a missing section of the page. I'm playing the character as though she's not quite sure of where her powers are coming from (other than the tome, obviously), so having her discover the circlet and have it embed iron spikes into her the first time she uses it would fit the story quite well, I feel.

As an addendum: I have Aspect of the Moon as an invocation and we've just gained a Grey Bag of Tricks from loot, so the morning ritual Hex is a great idea - though it doesn't address my perceived combat utility issues.

[Hail Tempus]

I'm just not seeing the connection between this magic item and your bad luck in combat. If you really feel that you're not hitting enough in combat, then invocations like Devil's Sight or feats like Lucky are the solution.

Every spellcaster is limited by the Concentration mechanic, which is an intentional design mechanic. I'm just not seeing why the party's Warlock needs something like this magic item any more than the other spellcasters.

[Segev]

Like I said before as DM I dont think she's a failure, it is her perception of failure thats her problem, for every natural 1 she rolls she'd need several natural 20's to forget about the fail. It is a combination of several bad rolls in hardcore fights recently that have upset her but thats RNg init.

I don't see how this magic item fixes that problem, though. Hex doesn't help her hit more often. And overriding the Concentration limit is a major buff for a character. Warlocks aren't a character class that really need any outside buffing for their combat effectiveness.

If she's upset at rolling ones occasionally, the easiest solution for her is to have the character invest in the Lucky feat.

Definitely, if the problem is not hitting, Lucky is a good investment. You could even give her a magic item that grants the feat's exact effects, if you wanted to not have to wait for a feat slot to open up.

Hello, I'm the Warlock in question.
So, in 3 of our 4 last combat encounters, I've seriously struggled. Despite having a +8 spell attack bonus and DC16 thanks to a +1 rod of the pact keeper, 18 CHA and level 7's +3 prof bonus, there are entire large encounters where I'll do... Nothing. Granted, one of those was due to being KO'ed in the first round by a young dragon, but it still feels as though I have a very underwhelming combat performance compared to the rest of the group.
I do have agonising blast, but that's not much help when you never hit! I actually use Shadow Blade as my primary combat spell when we're in shadows, as getting advantage on every attack seriously helps; I'll use Hex + Eldritch Blast if we're somewhere that wouldn't apply, or if I feel that engaging in melee will pose a more serious risk to my survival.

So, onto the circlet. The original concept was just a 'hey, I wonder what this would be like'. I've often felt that maintaining concentration on Hex for an entire combat really limits my options, though that's prior to a recent 'oh ****' moment where another player raised that we'd been running it wrong - we'd been applying the disadvantage to enemy's saving throws, instead of ability checks. Given that my character is themed around mental manipulation, and that our Wizard also uses a lot of save-based spells, this is a blow - though how heavy of one is yet to be determined.
I wanted to create an item that fit my character's theme and background; as Mad Saulot has said, she's an archaeologist. The tome that she found in an ancient tomb and began to translate is the link to her patron, and she's gaining her powers through translating sections of the tome as time goes by and she levels up - though she's slowly succumbing to it's effects upon her. I imagined the circlet as an ancient artifact alluded to in the tome that is described as providing those with the power to use it an additional conduit through which to channel the arcane magics of the being to which they're aligned, with the aspect of self-damage being omitted or on a missing section of the page. I'm playing the character as though she's not quite sure of where her powers are coming from (other than the tome, obviously), so having her discover the circlet and have it embed iron spikes into her the first time she uses it would fit the story quite well, I feel.

As an addendum: I have Aspect of the Moon as an invocation and we've just gained a Grey Bag of Tricks from loot, so the morning ritual Hex is a great idea - though it doesn't address my perceived combat utility issues.

The bolded part seems like your biggest issue in terms of having fun. Therefore, I don't think the item as specified will help you; as you say, having extra damage on the attack doesn't help if the attack never lands.

The lucky feat, if you're not familiar with it, gives you 3 luck points each day. You can spend a luck point on a roll after the result of the die is calculated to roll another d20 and take it if it's better.

Also, if you don't have one yet, get find familiar in your Pactbook and use it to get something highly mobile: it will be able to take Help actions in combat and give you Advantage more often on your attack rolls.

If you get the Devil's Sight invocation and a means of placing magical darkness on the field that doesn't involve your Concentration (or that does, if you're willing to give up Hex, or are using the magic item you outlined), you can make yourself unseen and still see your opponent. Just be careful about blinding your allies with the magical darkness!


As to the magic item, it seems okay for level 11+ play, though as I said, I'm not sure it will make your play experience subjectively better, given the issues outlined. To that end, I propose the following:

The Dark Hexagram
Rare, warlock only, requires attunement
This hexagon of lead and onyx adjusts to rest against the brow of whoever dons it. When attuned and worn, it causes a six-pointed star to appear like a wound in the world weeping black smoke that drips an inch or two before dissipating over the wearer's head, like a dark halo. Its wearer can maintain Concentration on hex and darkness at the same time.

Some versions that are very rare items will allow the attuned warlock to cast the spells even if she doesn't know them, and, if she knows both, will let her cast both with the same spell slot in the same action.

Other very rare versions instead grant the Warlock the Devil's Sight invocation, as well as the rare version's normal powers.



The Stone of Spiteful Envy
Uncommon, requires attunement
This green-veined piece of polished granite is often fit into other magical items; if it is, it can share their attunement slot. It grants 1 luck point after a long rest, though expending it comes at the cost of another's success. The GM chooses a character within 30 ft. of the user when they expend this luck point; if there are none, the next character to come within that range is chosen. That character must roll a new d20 the next time they succeed on any roll, and take the worse of the new one or the old one. The character also gains an extra Flaw while attuned: "I delight in the misery of others, especially if it proves my superiority." While good-hearted creatures can resist this flaw, it does grant an easy way to gain Inspiration. Whenever the character already has Inspiration and would gain Inspiration from this Flaw, the Stone's bearer instead gains 1 luck point. This can exceed the 1 point granted at the end of a long rest. All luck points flush out after a long rest, restoring only the one it regains.

[Fraggloid]

I'm just not seeing the connection between this magic item and your bad luck in combat. If you really feel that you're not hitting enough in combat, then invocations like Devil's Sight or feats like Lucky are the solution.

Every spellcaster is limited by the Concentration mechanic, which is an intentional design mechanic. I'm just not seeing why the party's Warlock needs something like this magic item any more than the other spellcasters.

Yeah, I see your point of view. At the end of the day, it's obviously up to my DM to review the concept and okay it, then allow us to go hunt the item down. It was just an idea; I suspect I've allowed myself to fall into the compensation path rather than the path of addressing the problem.

[Keravath]

Hello, I'm the Warlock in question.
So, in 3 of our 4 last combat encounters, I've seriously struggled. Despite having a +8 spell attack bonus and DC16 thanks to a +1 rod of the pact keeper, 18 CHA and level 7's +3 prof bonus, there are entire large encounters where I'll do... Nothing. Granted, one of those was due to being KO'ed in the first round by a young dragon, but it still feels as though I have a very underwhelming combat performance compared to the rest of the group.
I do have agonising blast, but that's not much help when you never hit! I actually use Shadow Blade as my primary combat spell when we're in shadows, as getting advantage on every attack seriously helps; I'll use Hex + Eldritch Blast if we're somewhere that wouldn't apply, or if I feel that engaging in melee will pose a more serious risk to my survival.

So, onto the circlet. The original concept was just a 'hey, I wonder what this would be like'. I've often felt that maintaining concentration on Hex for an entire combat really limits my options, though that's prior to a recent 'oh ****' moment where another player raised that we'd been running it wrong - we'd been applying the disadvantage to enemy's saving throws, instead of ability checks. Given that my character is themed around mental manipulation, and that our Wizard also uses a lot of save-based spells, this is a blow - though how heavy of one is yet to be determined.
I wanted to create an item that fit my character's theme and background; as Mad Saulot has said, she's an archaeologist. The tome that she found in an ancient tomb and began to translate is the link to her patron, and she's gaining her powers through translating sections of the tome as time goes by and she levels up - though she's slowly succumbing to it's effects upon her. I imagined the circlet as an ancient artifact alluded to in the tome that is described as providing those with the power to use it an additional conduit through which to channel the arcane magics of the being to which they're aligned, with the aspect of self-damage being omitted or on a missing section of the page. I'm playing the character as though she's not quite sure of where her powers are coming from (other than the tome, obviously), so having her discover the circlet and have it embed iron spikes into her the first time she uses it would fit the story quite well, I feel.

As an addendum: I have Aspect of the Moon as an invocation and we've just gained a Grey Bag of Tricks from loot, so the morning ritual Hex is a great idea - though it doesn't address my perceived combat utility issues.

Via Agonizing-eldritch blast a warlock provides decent and reliable damage. It is very comparable to similar tier melee and martial characters. So maybe we should be looking at why everyone else seems to do better than you do rather than why you feel like you aren't doing enough.

If it is just dice rolls then that is just random numbers at work. I've had bad games and good ones where I roll well or poorly and it can be frustrating but that is just the normal variation.

You have 18 charisma, +3 proficiency and a +1 Rod of the Pact Keeper for +8 to hit and +4 to damage. Eldritch blast provides for 2 attack rolls and the d6 damage from hex can be stacked on each. Alternatively, you can casts Shadows of Moil (or use Darkness+Devils sight) to obtain advantage on your attacks if your opponent doesn't have blindsight. Shadows of Moil is a great 4th level warlock spell from Xanathars. If you use hex your damage is a bit higher and if you use Shadows of Moil your chances to hit go up substantially.

Either way, your numbers are pretty typical. All of the martial classes except monk also only have 2 attacks unless they took the polearm master feat. However, this means that their primary stat might be lower (unless you used rolled stats and the other players rolled much better than you).

Basically, unless you are rolling stats and everyone else rolled better, or your DM hands out magic items like candy and the martials have +2/+3 magical weapons or other attack boosters, your damage should be pretty comparable. Even if the martials have Great Weapon Master or Sharpshooter, at tier 2 against typical AC monsters (say 17 to 20) the -5 to hit on these attacks means that they usually aren't a good trade off.

P.S. If you find that you have trouble maintaining concentration on spells, resilient con might be a good feat to take at level 8.

[Mad_Saulot]

Via Agonizing-eldritch blast a warlock provides decent and reliable damage. It is very comparable to similar tier melee and martial characters. So maybe we should be looking at why everyone else seems to do better than you do rather than why you feel like you aren't doing enough.

If it is just dice rolls then that is just random numbers at work. I've had bad games and good ones where I roll well or poorly and it can be frustrating but that is just the normal variation.

You have 18 charisma, +3 proficiency and a +1 Rod of the Pact Keeper for +8 to hit and +4 to damage. Eldritch blast provides for 2 attack rolls and the d6 damage from hex can be stacked on each. Alternatively, you can casts Shadows of Moil (or use Darkness+Devils sight) to obtain advantage on your attacks if your opponent doesn't have blindsight. Shadows of Moil is a great 4th level warlock spell from Xanathars. If you use hex your damage is a bit higher and if you use Shadows of Moil your chances to hit go up substantially.

Either way, your numbers are pretty typical. All of the martial classes except monk also only have 2 attacks unless they took the polearm master feat. However, this means that their primary stat might be lower (unless you used rolled stats and the other players rolled much better than you).

Basically, unless you are rolling stats and everyone else rolled better, or your DM hands out magic items like candy and the martials have +2/+3 magical weapons or other attack boosters, your damage should be pretty comparable. Even if the martials have Great Weapon Master or Sharpshooter, at tier 2 against typical AC monsters (say 17 to 20) the -5 to hit on these attacks means that they usually aren't a good trade off.

P.S. If you find that you have trouble maintaining concentration on spells, resilient con might be a good feat to take at level 8.

The two best weapons in the group are a Frostbrand Maul and a Dragonbane Lance, both carried by the dragonborn paladin (our barbarian is obsessed with axes) the other weapons are +1 Great axe (barbarian) +1 Knuckles (monk)

I've been fairly strict with random loot, but less strict with aquiring specific magic items as part of downtime. Most random loot is money gems and treasure (I really like treasure, you like that fancy silver comb with mother of pearl inlay? Keep it, increase your style!)